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US Has Given 50,000 Visas Since 9-11 To New Visitors From the Middle East
Human Events ^ | April 8 | Joseph D'Agostino

Posted on 04/05/2002 1:44:20 PM PST by The Old Hoosier

U.S. Has Given 50,000 Visas Since 9-11 To New Visitors From the Middle East
By Joseph A. D'Agostino

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, the U.S. State Department has issued more than 50,000 new visas to allow non-Israeli visitors from the Middle East to enter the United States.The department also issued new visas to allow more than 140,000 visitors into the United States since September 11 from an additional arc of countries running from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal to Bangladesh. The figures come from statistical sheets provided to Human Events by the State Department following inquiries by the newspaper. The U.S. issued 51,529 temporary visas at consulates in the Middle East, excluding those in Israel, between Sept. 12, 2001, and March 31, 2002, the documents say. The records indicate that large numbers of nationals from countries where al Qaeda is known to be active have continued to gain permission to enter the United States in the wake of September 11. This is despite the fact that the Justice Department has been unable to track down about half the visitors who were granted visas from those countries before September 11 and who are now being sought for voluntary interviews.

Welcome to America Despite the large numbers of visas issued in these countries, the figures are nonetheless down sharply from the same period last year, when 107,184 visas were issued in the same period at the same consulates in the non-Israeli Middle East. Temporary visas include tourist, business, student, and other non-immigrant visas. The State Department’s South Asia Post, which includes Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, issued 144,661 from Sept. 12, 2001 to March 31, 2002, compared to 207,936 in the same time period last year. Visas granted for immigration to the United States were also down. From September 2001 through February 2002, 7,866 immigrant visas were issued in Middle Eastern countries outside of Israel. (The statistics provided for Algeria ran only through January 2002.) In the same period last year, State issued 11,275 immigration visas in these countries. In South Asia (except for Bangladesh, whose statistics go through January 2002 only), 18,124 were issued compared to 21,902 in the same period last year. All these numbers refer specifically to the place at which a particular visa was issued, not the nationality of the person receiving it. A small number of people receiving visas in each country could be non-natives sojourning in that state, said State Bureau of Consular Affairs spokeswoman Kelly Shannon. State has also compiled statistics for immigrant visas based on the birth country of the recipients, though for Algeria and Bangladesh the numbers go through January only. Excluding Israel, 9,133 people born in the Middle East received immigrant visas from September 2001 through February 2002, compared to 13,116 in the same period last year. For South Asia, the numbers are 19,042 and 22,677, respectively. A congressional source told Human Events in December that the State Department reported to his office that 7,000 men from the 25 countries on State’s al Qaeda "watch list" received visas to enter the United States in the few weeks between late October and December 1. (See Dec. 17, 2001, issue, page 8.) The State Department affirmed last week that its criteria for granting visas have not changed since September 11. "We do have a supplemental application form for males ages 16 to 45, regardless of their country of origin," Shannon told Human Events last week. "This just enables us to gather more information. This is a temporary measure." The more extensive screening of applicants is all that has changed, she said. She added, however, that consular officers often exercise their discretion when nationals apply for U.S. visas in a third country—as when a Saudi citizen shows up at the U.S. consular office in London to apply for a visa to come here. "If there is even questionable information, that consular officer would probably recommend that the national travel back to Saudi Arabia and apply there," she said. But such a person could sometimes still get a visa in the third country. "It depends on their situation, such as if they have been to the United States before, the nature of their business," said Shannon.

Young Iraqis But no class of people—such as young men from Iraq—is excluded entirely from receiving visas to visit the United States, she said. "Of course not," she answered when asked if any particular set of people from any particular nation is being kept out. She said that the name of every visa applicant is put through a computer network called the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS), which includes information from the FBI, foreign governments, and other sources. "They must clear the system or they cannot get a visa," she said. Once they enter the United States, where they go, what they do, and whether they leave when their visas expire, is something that even the Justice Department cannot fully track, even in the wake of September 11. The U.S. Justice Department cannot account for about 1,800 of the 4,800 young men who were visiting the United States from countries where al Qaeda is believed to be active and who were sought for voluntary interviews by department attorneys in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. On Nov. 9, 2001, the department announced that it planned to interview 4,793 men aged 18 to 33 who had entered the country since Jan. 1, 2000, on non-immigrant, or temporary, visas. The department sought to interview the men in the hope of gathering information that could be useful in finding terrorists and potential terrorists. At a March 20 press conference, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft announced the results of the interviews and his intention to seek interviews with 3,000 more men. Of the 4,793 young men sought, he said, only 2,261 were located. "Except for a very small number who declined to be interviewed, the majority of the persons we spoke to made their best effort to provide useful information, the overwhelming majority," said Ashcroft. "In total, approximately one-half of the foreign nationals on the list were located and interviewed." Justice determined that 680 of the men had probably left the country and that 785 were believed to be here somewhere but could not be found. The Justice Department said it did not know the whereabouts of 1,000 others. The additional 3,000 young men Justice sought for interviews have entered the United States since November. "Today I am announcing that we are reaching out to a second group of foreign nationals for their assistance in identifying and disrupting terrorist networks," said Ashcroft. "Approximately 3,000 individuals who entered the United States more recently than the first round of interviewees will be asked to speak voluntarily to U.S. officials. In a memorandum sent today, each United States attorney has been directed to assign responsibility to interview these individuals to members of the antiterrorism task forces and to ensure completion of the interviews within 60 days." Ashcroft said the criteria used to select the additional 3,000 were "similar" to those used previously. "In large measure these will be men who come from a variety of settings and whose passports reflect a variety of settings where there have been strong al Qaeda presences," he said. "I’m not confident that we have the exact same age parameters we’ve had previously." Considering the inability of the Justice Department to account for at least 1,785 young men allowed into the United States from countries where al Qaeda is believed to be active, some members of Congress feel it is time for the United States to suspend granting visas to visitors from these nations temporarily. Until the government implements a computerized entry-exit tracking system, biometric visas that cannot be counterfeited, full information-sharing among federal agencies, and other security procedures, they say, visas for nationals of certain nations should be halted.

Terrorist Admission Prevention Act Rep. Dave Weldon (R.-Fla.) has introduced the Terrorist Admission Prevention (TAP) Act, HR 4010, which would put a moratorium on visas for nationals of 15 countries "until the Department of Justice implements the technology necessary to secure our borders and protect U.S. citizens from terror." The 15 countries listed in Weldon’s bill are Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The attorney general would be authorized to grant 100 exceptions to the law per country per year. "Our current border and immigration security systems are incapable of protecting American citizens against another terrorist attack," said Weldon. "[Muhammad] Atta was not on any INS watch list and even if INS officials had suspected Atta, they would not have been able to track his whereabouts in a timely manner. This is because no system is in place to track foreign students electronically, and yet INS continues to issue tens of thousands of foreign student visas."


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: immigrantlist; terrorism; terrorwar; zionist
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1 posted on 04/05/2002 1:44:20 PM PST by The Old Hoosier
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To: The Old Hoosier
US Has Given 50,000 Visas Since 9-11 To New Visitors From the Middle East

Well, so much for a total freeze on all immigration. A year long moratorium would have been a wise move on our part. This is very very foolish and might just back to haunt us, in the long run. Awfully disappointing!

2 posted on 04/05/2002 1:48:47 PM PST by Reagan Man
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: seamole
Sorry about the formatting. Here it is properly.

U.S. Has Given 50,000 Visas Since 9-11 To New Visitors From the Middle East
By Joseph A. D'Agostino

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, the U.S. State Department has issued more than 50,000 new visas to allow non-Israeli visitors from the Middle East to enter the United States.

The department also issued new visas to allow more than 140,000 visitors into the United States since September 11 from an additional arc of countries running from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal to Bangladesh.

The figures come from statistical sheets provided to Human Events by the State Department following inquiries by the newspaper.

The U.S. issued 51,529 temporary visas at consulates in the Middle East, excluding those in Israel, between Sept. 12, 2001, and March 31, 2002, the documents say.

The records indicate that large numbers of nationals from countries where al Qaeda is known to be active have continued to gain permission to enter the United States in the wake of September 11. This is despite the fact that the Justice Department has been unable to track down about half the visitors who were granted visas from those countries before September 11 and who are now being sought for voluntary interviews.

Welcome to America

Despite the large numbers of visas issued in these countries, the figures are nonetheless down sharply from the same period last year, when 107,184 visas were issued in the same period at the same consulates in the non-Israeli Middle East.

Temporary visas include tourist, business, student, and other non-immigrant visas.

The State Department’s South Asia Post, which includes Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, issued 144,661 from Sept. 12, 2001 to March 31, 2002, compared to 207,936 in the same time period last year.

Visas granted for immigration to the United States were also down. From September 2001 through February 2002, 7,866 immigrant visas were issued in Middle Eastern countries outside of Israel. (The statistics provided for Algeria ran only through January 2002.) In the same period last year, State issued 11,275 immigration visas in these countries.

In South Asia (except for Bangladesh, whose statistics go through January 2002 only), 18,124 were issued compared to 21,902 in the same period last year.

All these numbers refer specifically to the place at which a particular visa was issued, not the nationality of the person receiving it. A small number of people receiving visas in each country could be non-natives sojourning in that state, said State Bureau of Consular Affairs spokeswoman Kelly Shannon.

State has also compiled statistics for immigrant visas based on the birth country of the recipients, though for Algeria and Bangladesh the numbers go through January only. Excluding Israel, 9,133 people born in the Middle East received immigrant visas from September 2001 through February 2002, compared to 13,116 in the same period last year. For South Asia, the numbers are 19,042 and 22,677, respectively.

A congressional source told Human Events in December that the State Department reported to his office that 7,000 men from the 25 countries on State’s al Qaeda "watch list" received visas to enter the United States in the few weeks between late October and December 1. (See Dec. 17, 2001, issue, page 8.) The State Department affirmed last week that its criteria for granting visas have not changed since September 11.

"We do have a supplemental application form for males ages 16 to 45, regardless of their country of origin," Shannon told Human Events last week. "This just enables us to gather more information. This is a temporary measure." The more extensive screening of applicants is all that has changed, she said.

She added, however, that consular officers often exercise their discretion when nationals apply for U.S. visas in a third country—as when a Saudi citizen shows up at the U.S. consular office in London to apply for a visa to come here. "If there is even questionable information, that consular officer would probably recommend that the national travel back to Saudi Arabia and apply there," she said.

But such a person could sometimes still get a visa in the third country. "It depends on their situation, such as if they have been to the United States before, the nature of their business," said Shannon.

Young Iraqis

But no class of people—such as young men from Iraq—is excluded entirely from receiving visas to visit the United States, she said. "Of course not," she answered when asked if any particular set of people from any particular nation is being kept out.

She said that the name of every visa applicant is put through a computer network called the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS), which includes information from the FBI, foreign governments, and other sources. "They must clear the system or they cannot get a visa," she said.

Once they enter the United States, where they go, what they do, and whether they leave when their visas expire, is something that even the Justice Department cannot fully track, even in the wake of September 11.

The U.S. Justice Department cannot account for about 1,800 of the 4,800 young men who were visiting the United States from countries where al Qaeda is believed to be active and who were sought for voluntary interviews by department attorneys in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

On Nov. 9, 2001, the department announced that it planned to interview 4,793 men aged 18 to 33 who had entered the country since Jan. 1, 2000, on non-immigrant, or temporary, visas. The department sought to interview the men in the hope of gathering information that could be useful in finding terrorists and potential terrorists.

At a March 20 press conference, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft announced the results of the interviews and his intention to seek interviews with 3,000 more men. Of the 4,793 young men sought, he said, only 2,261 were located. "Except for a very small number who declined to be interviewed, the majority of the persons we spoke to made their best effort to provide useful information, the overwhelming majority," said Ashcroft. "In total, approximately one-half of the foreign nationals on the list were located and interviewed."

Justice determined that 680 of the men had probably left the country and that 785 were believed to be here somewhere but could not be found. The Justice Department said it did not know the whereabouts of 1,000 others.

The additional 3,000 young men Justice sought for interviews have entered the United States since November. "Today I am announcing that we are reaching out to a second group of foreign nationals for their assistance in identifying and disrupting terrorist networks," said Ashcroft. "Approximately 3,000 individuals who entered the United States more recently than the first round of interviewees will be asked to speak voluntarily to U.S. officials. In a memorandum sent today, each United States attorney has been directed to assign responsibility to interview these individuals to members of the antiterrorism task forces and to ensure completion of the interviews within 60 days."

Ashcroft said the criteria used to select the additional 3,000 were "similar" to those used previously. "In large measure these will be men who come from a variety of settings and whose passports reflect a variety of settings where there have been strong al Qaeda presences," he said. "I’m not confident that we have the exact same age parameters we’ve had previously."

Considering the inability of the Justice Department to account for at least 1,785 young men allowed into the United States from countries where al Qaeda is believed to be active, some members of Congress feel it is time for the United States to suspend granting visas to visitors from these nations temporarily.

Until the government implements a computerized entry-exit tracking system, biometric visas that cannot be counterfeited, full information-sharing among federal agencies, and other security procedures, they say, visas for nationals of certain nations should be halted.

Terrorist Admission Prevention Act

Rep. Dave Weldon (R.-Fla.) has introduced the Terrorist Admission Prevention (TAP) Act, HR 4010, which would put a moratorium on visas for nationals of 15 countries "until the Department of Justice implements the technology necessary to secure our borders and protect U.S. citizens from terror."

The 15 countries listed in Weldon’s bill are Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The attorney general would be authorized to grant 100 exceptions to the law per country per year.

"Our current border and immigration security systems are incapable of protecting American citizens against another terrorist attack," said Weldon. "[Muhammad] Atta was not on any INS watch list and even if INS officials had suspected Atta, they would not have been able to track his whereabouts in a timely manner. This is because no system is in place to track foreign students electronically, and yet INS continues to issue tens of thousands of foreign student visas."

4 posted on 04/05/2002 1:52:10 PM PST by The Old Hoosier
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: The Old Hoosier
How many Scandinavians?
6 posted on 04/05/2002 2:00:41 PM PST by larryjohnson
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To: The Old Hoosier
I guess the 3,000+ deaths of September 11th weren't enough for our leaders to pull their heads out of the sand. How many Americans have to die before we can get real immigration reform? 30,000? 300,000? This is lunacy.
7 posted on 04/05/2002 2:01:41 PM PST by RAT_Poison
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To: The Old Hoosier
"Our current border and immigration security systems are incapable of protecting American citizens against another terrorist attack,"

We are still vunerable.
8 posted on 04/05/2002 2:04:34 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: The Old Hoosier
I guess the tree stooges are alive and well and running this country.
9 posted on 04/05/2002 2:09:20 PM PST by samson1
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To: The Old Hoosier
I guess the three stooges are alive and well and running this country.
10 posted on 04/05/2002 2:09:30 PM PST by samson1
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To: The Old Hoosier
I've said it before on FR and will say it again: I will take the domestic war on terrorism seriously when the U.S. government takes serious control our borders.We simply cannot have it both ways. We cannot have open borders and security in America. It is preposterous to suggest it.
11 posted on 04/05/2002 2:09:47 PM PST by NoControllingLegalAuthority
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To: NoControllingLegalAuthority
I agree completly! I am disgusted and shocked by this information. Whay are we being so stupid?
12 posted on 04/05/2002 2:15:52 PM PST by 2rightsleftcoast
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To: NoControllingLegalAuthority
I agree completely! I am disgusted and shocked by this information. Way are we being so stupid?
13 posted on 04/05/2002 2:16:52 PM PST by 2rightsleftcoast
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To: Reagan Man
Well, so much for a total freeze on all immigration.

They should have done just that after 9/11. INCREDIBLE!

14 posted on 04/05/2002 2:36:52 PM PST by Mixer
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To: NoControllingLegalAuthority
Actually, considering the fact that our government is NOT taking the domestic war on terrorism seriously is precisely the reason you should.

Somebody has got to watch your back. I guess it is up to us to be on guard.

15 posted on 04/05/2002 2:51:56 PM PST by snippy_about_it
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To: snippy_about_it
Oh, I take the terrorists seriously. It's just hard to take our government seriously. Airport screeners have fondled the breasts of blond women (looking for?) and waved through Middle Eastern males in turbans. It sounds like a comedy motion picture except it's not funny considering the stakes.
16 posted on 04/05/2002 3:04:08 PM PST by NoControllingLegalAuthority
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: The Old Hoosier
HEADLINE ALONE IS OUTRAGEOUS-WHAT THE F**K IS GOIN ON??!!
18 posted on 04/05/2002 3:14:46 PM PST by 1234
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To: The Old Hoosier;starfan;firebrand;exit109;arleigh;healey22;racebannon
Visas to anyone from threat nations should have been frozen post 9/11. This is the real national security threat, Not searching little old ladies at the airports.
19 posted on 04/05/2002 3:15:50 PM PST by Dutchy
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To: The Old Hoosier
This kind of incompetence is what gets very militaristic and authoritarian governments created. They claim to fix the problem, and then other problems follow. Is this great republic so divided that the normal political process will not allow selection of someone who will push to do what is necessary? Bush is far, far better than the alternative, and doesn't always show his cards, but in the immigration area he is a very big disappointment to me.
20 posted on 04/05/2002 3:16:05 PM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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